The last PGA Tour stop before the final major of the season takes place this week in the Quad Cities area with the playing of the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois. Not an ideal event to prepare for the Open Championship, most of the Tour’s big names are absent from the JDC. That doesn’t mean the play will be below par. The field is headlined by the last two Tour winners in Matthew Wolff and Nate Lashley, and will also feature a number of up-and-comers who are the future of the game. That also leaves us some intriguing matchups with odds for those listed below.
John Deere Classic Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Dylan Frittelli -130 vs. Sepp Straka +110
Viktor Hovland -115 vs. Collin Morikawa -105
Bronson Burgoon +110 vs. Joel Dahmen -130
Nick Watney -105 vs. Ryan Palmer -115
Collin Morikawa -115 vs. Joaquin Niemann -105
Martin Laird -105 vs. Nate Lashley -115
Lucas Glover -120 vs. Ryan Moore +100
J.T. Poston -105 vs. Peter Malnati -115
Brian Harman -105 vs. Matthew Wolff -115
Kevin Tway -125 vs. Wyndham Clark +105
Bud Cauley -105 vs. Sam Burns -115
Sungjae Im -130 vs. Ryan Moore +110
Sam Ryder -110 vs. Troy Merritt -110
Vaughn Taylor -130 vs. Harold Varner III +110
Zach Johnson -120 vs. Kyle Stanley +100
Cameron Champ +125 vs. Danny Lee -145
Sungjae Im -115 vs. Lucas Glover -105
Talor Gooch -125 vs. Beau Hossler +105
Denny McCarthy -120 vs. Jhonattan Vegas +100
Charles Howell III -125 vs. Daniel Berger +105
Cameron Tringale -110 vs. Mackenzie Hughes -110
Viktor Hovland -125 vs. Joaquin Niemann +105
Jason Dufner -110 vs. Scott Brown -110
Brian Stuard -110 vs. Pat Perez -120
Austin Cook -110 vs. Carlos Ortiz -120
Hank Lebioda -140 vs. Joey Garber +110
Brice Garnett -140 vs. Doc Redman +110
Johnson Wagner -120 vs. Matt Jones -110
Michael Thompson -135 vs. Russell Henley +105
Ryan Armour -125 vs. Shawn Stefani -105
Adam Long -150 vs. Andres Romero +120
Andrew Landry -135 vs. Bill Haas +105
Kramer Hickok -140 vs. Luke Donald +110
Matt Every -120 vs. Peter Uihlein -110
Scott Stallings -135 vs. Stephan Jaeger +105
Alex Prugh -120 vs. David Hearn -110
Robert Streb -120 vs. Roberto Castro -110
Sebastian Munoz -120 vs. Wes Roach -110
Need to Know
Not a good week on the matchup front for me with just one winner and a pair of ties in my five picks. If picking winners at the 3M Open was tough, it’s going to be extremely difficult this week with a field consisting of a bunch of young players with little experience. The good news is that TPC Deere Run, which has hosted this event since 2000, has yielded a bunch of low scores over the years. We saw Michael Kim torch the layout to a record 27-under to top the field by eight swings last year. Wide fairways keep the ball in play giving short and accurate hitters a big advantage. The course typically offers up a number of birdie opportunities and the field has taken advantage in the past.
John Deere Classic Matchup Picks
Collin Morikawa -115 vs. Joaquin Niemann
One of the fine young players to recently make his debut on the Tour, Morikawa is coming off a runner-up finish at the 3M Open, coming this close to forcing a playoff on the final hole. Morikawa stands out in a field void of big name players, and his near miss last week should be the impetus for a breakthrough. He gained an impressive 10.7 strokes on approach and something similar will set him up for a very low score.
Troy Merritt -110 vs. Sam Ryder
Playing a home game last week led Merritt to a T7 at TPC Twin Cities and he gets another shot to play close to home, which he apparently likes. Merritt employs a deadly approach game when he’s on, and last week he had the flat stick working. He isn’t a lock given his inconsistent play and he’s never enjoyed much success at Deere Run, but the confidence gained off last week’s performance and toiling on a layout with few distractions is a huge plus for him. And I like his chances.
Sungjae Im -115 vs. Lucas Glover
Playing fantastic golf all season, Im has had the misfortune of watching first time winners hoist hardware before him the last two tournaments. That’s about to end. He’s a ridiculous 44-under over his last four tournaments and one round over 69 in each of those events proved costly. I don’t see this layout giving him any problems and the fire is burning to get that first victory, and he’s been close. I like Im in this matchup and he’s a solid choice to win the whole thing.
Zach Johnson -120 vs. Kyle Stanley
Johnson hasn’t been turning heads with his recent play, but if you’re looking for a course fit, he’s your guy. His last eight starts at this event have produced seven finishes among the top-20 with six of those doubling as top-5s. A visit to a course that he’s absolutely blistered in the past will break him out of a funk that saw him finish outside the top-35 in five straight.
Sam Burns -115 vs. Bud Cauley
Another player who feels comfortable in the summer heat of the Midwest is Louisiana product Burns. He scorched TPC Twin Cities last week with a bogey-free 64 in the final round for a T7, his best showing this calendar year. With few obstacles facing him this week, the layout is ripe for him to conquer. He has the ability to go low and you won’t find a lot of bloated numbers floating around Deere Run.
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